13 miles / 21 km Deadwater North, Allagash - Twin Brook East, Allagash
RAIN, RAIN
Everything is damp this morning and it is still raining. I fancied eggs and toast for breakfast which take more time than eating granola or porridge so that we did not depart until 8.15.
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We stopped off at Cunliffe depot campsite, yet another manicured site, to visit the Lombard log haulers, both a steam and a diesel version, rusting and sinking into the forest floor.
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Thereafter we visited the ranger at Michaud Farm to sign out. Trevor O’Leary was very chatty, a ranger in the summer and a logger in the winter. He proudly showed us a picture of himself which is printed on the NFCT map 13.
It was interesting to look at the contents of the rangers canoe. It also includes a grass trimmer.
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We proceeded onto Allagash Falls and caught up with a group of trainee Maine guides, all poling with their self-made poles and wooden paddles.
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Just before the falls we were lucky to observe the first MALE moose of the trip.
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After yesterday’s rain, the river was now running at 770 cfs according to the ranger, and our marker which we had made last night at camp also indicated a 3 inch rise. Nevertheless the river was still very scratchy and tiring to paddle with the occasional wade to find deep enough water.
We enjoyed a respite from the rain at lunchtime enabling us to sit on the rocks and view Allagash falls.
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We continued down to Twin Brook East, a double site and the last site of the Allagash Waterway.
It was already occupied by a group of Virginia scouts (not the same people we had met on Eagle Lake) but still part of the same group. They were friendly and welcoming and helped us put up our tarp over the table.
The rain continues, absolute downpours, good for filling the St. John for tomorrows paddle.
Around the table it is one huge paddle.
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I had pitched the tent behind the picnic area in the wood on what I thought was ground that drained well but after 2 hours huge puddles were developing around it. I moved the tent in the rain to a “dry” piece of ground. It required some strategy to get into the tent during the downpour. First I got in, taking off my wet gear and making the inner tent wet. Then Geoff slid the opening of the pack containing the mats and sleeping bags under the outer tent and I carefully extracted the mats and sleeping bags out of the bag into the inner tent. Then Geoff joined me and everything felt damp. The tent floor was wet but the mats and bags were dry and we slept very well. The noise of the rain surpassed the noise of the passing logging trucks on the other side of the river.
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